nanlan886/silhouette-sidebar

★ 17Audience · generalComplexity · 1/5Setup · easy

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Silhouette-Sidebar))
    What it does
      Floating sidebar
      Quick app switching
      Edge trigger
    Features
      Custom app shortcuts
      Multiple presets
      Always accessible
    Target devices
      Xiaomi tablets
      Redmi tablets
      Stock Android phones
    Design goals
      Minimal screen space
      No home screen needed

mindmap root((Silhouette-Sidebar)) What it does Floating sidebar Quick app switching Edge trigger Features Custom app shortcuts Multiple presets Always accessible Target devices Xiaomi tablets Redmi tablets Stock Android phones Design goals Minimal screen space No home screen needed

Click or tap to explore — scroll the page freely

Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Add a floating sidebar to any Android phone or tablet that lacks a built-in one, so you can switch apps without going back to the home screen.

USE CASE 2

Set up multiple sidebar presets with different app shortcuts for different situations, such as one layout for work and another for media.

USE CASE 3

Switch instantly between frequently used apps like a browser, messaging app, or file manager from any screen with a single swipe or tap.

Tech stack

Android

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

In plain English

Silhouette-Sidebar (also called Side Shadow) is a lightweight Android app that adds a floating sidebar to phones and tablets that do not have one built in. It is specifically aimed at Xiaomi and Redmi tablet users and people running stock Android on devices like Google Pixels, where there is no system-level sidebar feature. On those devices, switching between apps means going back to the home screen or app drawer each time, which adds up quickly when you are multitasking. The way it works is straightforward. A small floating trigger sits at the edge of your screen at all times. Swipe or tap it from any app and a panel opens with shortcuts to apps you have added there. You can switch to a messaging app, a browser, a file manager, a music player, or any other frequently used app without ever leaving the screen you are on. When you are done, the panel closes and you return to whatever you were doing. You can configure which apps appear in the sidebar and arrange shortcuts to match your habits. The app also supports preset shortcut combinations for different use cases, such as one layout for work and another for media consumption. The design goal is to stay out of the way. The trigger takes up very little screen space and the panel only appears when you call for it, so it does not cover your content or slow the device down. The app supports both Chinese and English. No details about permissions or system requirements are specified in the README beyond the Android target.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

I installed Silhouette-Sidebar on my Pixel phone but I cannot see the edge trigger. How do I enable it and set which edge of the screen it appears on?

Prompt 2

I want different sidebar app shortcuts depending on whether I am working or watching media. How do I create multiple presets in Silhouette-Sidebar and switch between them?

Prompt 3

The Silhouette-Sidebar panel opens a bit slowly on my device. Are there settings to reduce the delay or make the animation faster?

Open on GitHub → Explain another repo

← nanlan886 on gitmyhub — every repo by this author, as a profile.

Verify against the repo before relying on details.